Lieux et formes de pouvoir, "Don't shoot, Michael Brown"

my subject is Power to to start with id like to define the terms power : To define the terms "Power" we can say that power is the faculty, the ability, the material possibility, or the permission to do something. Power is the legal capacity to do something, to act. We saw in class that there are several ways to exert power and one is through music and lyrics. But to what extent can music be a good intermediate with people and how can artists raise peoples awareness

to illustrate this notion, in class we listened to the song "Don't Shoot" by The Game and several other rappers, collaborating to denounce the police brutality against the African-American community in the USA. They are talking about the tragedy that happened in August 2014 in Ferguson. Michael Brown was murdered at the age of 18 by a white policeman while he was reported to have been robbing a convenience store. The song covers topics such as injustice and the relationship between colored people and the police and the increasing militarization of the officers.

Verse 1 :

Our Lord, grant us good in this world

And good in the life, to come keep us safe from the torment of the fire

As we keep our hands up high and scream for justice

Ferguson, rest in peace Mike Brown

And all the young soldiers out there, god help us

When he says : “ As we keep our hands up high and scream for justice “ he refers to the numerous people that took part in a peaceful march to protest against the situation surrounding the death of Michael Brown. At an August 11th press conference, Brown’s parents said: “We don’t want no violence. Michael would have wanted no violence. We need justice for our son.” So the artists here are urging people to calm down because what happened in Ferguson made the entire African-American community angry and it created tensions between them and the police.

Verse 2 :

Time to take a stand and save our future

Like we all got shot, we all got shot

Throwing up our hands don't let them shoot us

Cause we all we got, we all we got

According to Brown’s friend the police officer arguing with Brown and his friend about walking in the street eventually began shooting at the teens, and Brown was killed with his hands up, after that he stopped running and showed he was unarmed.

“Hands up, don’t shoot!” has become a slogan and a campaign, and protestors of the incident are commonly seen with their hands up

Along with these protests there was a call for people across the country, especially black people to look for change and justice through a united effort and through events such as Reverend Al Sharpton’s Unity Rally, which brought thousands together, including Brown’s parents and civil rights leaders.

“Mothers crying "Stop the riots", we ain't got to chalk the city”

Here The Game makes a reference to the riots that erupted in Ferguson after the shooting of Mike Brown, to him they mean nothing and they are actually detrimental to the Michael Brown cause.

The chalk here is that which homicide detectives outline the bodies of murder victims with. The meaning of this line seems to be that rioting is not necessary, and causes more bad than good.

“I seen a lot of ice water tossed and I know it's for a cause

My only question is, what we doing for the loss

Of Mike Brown?”

In this fifth verse, the rapper named Fabolous is questioning us about what celebrities are going to do about Brown’s death? Several artists like Katy Perry or Bill Gates did the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge but they didn’t speak out for Mike Brown and he feels it’s not normal. Everybody should feel concerned about this because the police act against a minority group and they aren’t protected by anyone, that’s why he challenged them too through these lyrics : “Cause right now, I challenge you to use your talents to speak up, and don't you ever let em silence you, because action speaks louder than words, that's what I heard. Shot down with his hands up, that's what occurred, man that sound absurd. Matter fact to me that sound like murder, we want justice.”

He wants people to react without being violent but by being intelligent. He wants justice for Mike Brown and all the other victims of police assaults.

This song is a call to peace.

Then we studied another song about another important issue : homelessness

“Another Day in Paradise “ is a protest song released on Phil Collins’ 4th album “But Seriously” in October 1989

He explained he wrote this song after seeing lots of people living in cardboard boxes Washington DC. Phil Collins was criticized by the English news for writing a song about the poor despite being wealthy. He responded in a New York Times interview: “When I drive down the street, I see the same things everyone else sees. It’s a misconception that if you have a lot of money you’re somehow out of touch with reality.”

Verse 1 :

She calls out to the man on the street

"Sir, can you help me?

It's cold and I've nowhere to sleep

Is there somewhere you can tell me?"

He walks on, doesn't look back

He pretends he can't hear her

Starts to whistle as he crosses the street

Seems embarrassed to be there

Here, a homeless woman politely approaches a passerby asking him if he can help her find a shelter. The first image of the song is the woman asking for help but the man seems busy and is embarrassed by the woman, he pretends he can’t hear when in fact he wants to avoid looking at her. He whistles as a pretext for not paying attention to her.

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